Raising the Bar

The swish party crowd was out in full force to celebrate prolific designer Ravi Bajaj’s wine bar at his spacious three level Greater Kailash boutique. The sophisticated drinking den on level 2,was swarming with fashionistas,designers and restaurateurs who pottered around the bar,swiveling their reds. Bajaj has converted the 1500 square feet men’s showroom into a stylish bar,hopeful that it will also function as a social hub. Clad in a brawny black leather jacket,the man himself got behind the counter jauntily to pour champagnes for the ladies. “The bar is an extension of my bar at home. It would serve four of my martinis and my favourite single malts besides the wine,” laughed Bajaj,whose rooftop café above is equally popular.

While the heady wines jumpstarted the party,the food in this svelte sitdown bar was as good as the wine,making guests linger longer. Dinner consisted of warm prawns seasoned with lemon and savoury crêpes. Settling down in the hard liquor zone was the celebrity brigade— designer Nandita Mahtani,trussed in black Jimmy Choo shoes,Suneet Varma (who hopped from Genesis Luxury MD’s Sanjay Kapoor party),socialite Shabnam Singhal and Dabur’s vice-chairman Amit Burman,completely engrossed in his drink. “The décor is extremely good and the place is very well lit,” smiled Mahtani,in a striking golden shirt,sipping her champagne. Restaurateur Shiv Karan Singh of Smoke House Grill was found at one end,nursing his Italian sparkler. “The bar is like a lovely slice of entertainment,ideal for conversations in this pleasant weather,” said Singh. “The idea is to make drinking wine less fussy. So we would have a wine sommelier at hand throughout and there would even be wine appreciation classes. The place is open to everybody,not just the clientele,who shop in the boutique,” said Bajaj.